The magic council’s training session started in mid-July and temporarily concluded on December 21st – the start of the New Year break.
From the 22nd, the students could joyfully indulge in eating, drinking, and playing around the Magic Council headquarters. They would return after the New Year to continue the second half of their courses.
Naturally, December 21st became the day for the training class to receive their grades.
"Ah..." a red-haired girl sighed in disappointment as she walked up to the podium to receive her grade and paper from the assistant.
She had been a bit reckless during this period, and after five months, her mental strength had only grown by 30%, not even reaching level two. The highest scores on her two papers were only B-. Although saddened, the grade wasn’t entirely unexpected.
A blond boy walked up to collect his documents. As he glanced over the paper, his eyebrows immediately furrowed. How could this be! The paper on "Different Parts of Bats as Spellcasting Materials and their Impact on Echo Magic" only received a B-! He thought he could get an A!
Trouble was brewing; this New Year wasn’t going to be pleasant...
Names were called out one by one, and students approached the podium to collect their papers, wearing gloomy expressions as they left. The grading for this training class was quite strict. With a class of seventy to eighty people, only three received an A-, six or seven got a B+, while the rest were in the B range or below.
The group of youngsters, carrying the titles of "genius" and "elite," looked at each other with displeasure. Several students who received C- were relieved, patting their chests in gratitude:
"Thank goodness, it was close to getting a D. Getting a D would mean interrupting studies and being sent home."
The assistant was impartial, going down the list one by one, finally reaching the last one:
"Garrett Nordmark, uh..."
Why wouldn’t there be?
A slight commotion filled the classroom. The assistant took off his glasses, wiped them, put them back on, and looked again. At the end of the form, next to Garrett’s name, there still wasn’t a score. Instead, there was a line of small text:
"Paper score pending."
The assistant loudly announced it. Garrett went up to receive his grade, and on the way, the students whispered and discussed:
"Isn’t that strange? Nothing for him?"
"He submitted his paper almost ten days ago..."
"I remember he just joined last month?"
"Yes, I remember that too."
"Maybe his paper was so bad that it was held back?"
"Or perhaps he didn’t write it at all?"
Garrett returned to his seat under curious gazes. The assistant tapped the podium, smiling:
"All right, ladies and gentlemen, enjoy your New Year holiday. By the way, before the break, you can visit the academy library to exchange for a few spells based on your grades."
The students rushed out. It was a rare occasion to have so many opportunities for exchange. The library’s scrolls were limited, first come, first served, and those who came later could only pick up what others left behind...
Garrett sat in the back row, shrinking into his seat, and the desk was immediately bumped several times in succession. These mages were usually delicate, but now they didn’t stop or cry out in pain. After hitting the desk, they turned and rushed towards the back door.
With a bang, Garrett watched two mages get stuck in a pile at the back door...
He waited until the classroom was empty before slowly picking up his bag and walking out. Bridge Magic Academy had a small library that didn’t allow students to borrow books; they could only read basic and theoretical books within the library.
As for wanting to learn a specific magic? Sorry, either spend gold coins to buy or exchange with magic council contribution points...
Now the borrowing section was crowded with seventy to eighty students, although they obediently lined up, they couldn’t help but jostle to get closer. Garrett passed through them towards the reading area, hearing the administrator behind him answering:
"C+? Miss, you can exchange for two 0-level magics. Check the list yourself."
"B-? One 1-level magic, one 0-level magic."
"A-? Sir, two 1-level magics, one 0-level magic. The teaching scroll borrowing time is 10 days... Oh, let me see. It’s almost the holidays; you can borrow until the end of the New Year break."
So I missed a grading opportunity... Does that mean I missed a chance to learn magic for free? Garrett turned back to the borrowing window. On the other side of the book borrowing area, a red-haired lady was leisurely reading. Garrett asked her with a forced smile:
"Excuse me... What are the conditions for borrowing magic?"
"Read it yourself." The lady didn’t lift her head and casually pointed to the wall. A flash came from her crimson robe, and Garrett followed, turning around to quickly scan the price list on the wall:
0-level magic, borrowing fee of 100 gold coins or 100 contribution points;
1-level magic, borrowing fee of 500 to 2000 gold coins or equivalent contribution points.
Borrowing time is 10 days, and if damaged, compensation is required.
Feeling like he missed a billion, no, missed several thousand gold coins...
Garrett tilted his neck slightly, frozen in front of the price list for a long time, turned around, lowered his head, and walked away dragging his feet. Ah, so many magics in front of him, but he could only look, not learn...
The mage tower in Hartland City listed only the names of half of the 0-level magics, one-third of 1-level magics, and surely much less for 2-level magics. To learn others, either exchange privately among mages or spend money to buy from the magic council.
Who is responsible for grading his paper... Why did everyone else’s scores come out, but his didn’t... This New Year break, he could have learned several new magics...
A voice suddenly rang at the door. Garrett turned his head, turned around, and along with his classmates, looked towards the entrance. A level-five mage in a red robe hurriedly came in, holding a piece of paper, scanning the crowd:
"Who is Garrett Nordmark? - Is it you? Come with me!"
"The Archmage wants to see you!"
The surroundings suddenly fell silent. In the astonished gazes of his classmates, Garrett was lifted out of the library by the mage, thrown onto a black horse.
The black horse, from its size to the saddle and even its gaze, looked exceptionally standard, clearly a product of the [Summon Mount] spell. The mage in the red robe shook the reins, and the two horses ran through the academy, crossing the street.
The higher they went, the closer to the foothills they got. In no time, they stopped in front of a long building with an arched roof.
Garrett looked at the roof in confusion. The style seemed so familiar
; it felt like a train station... Did they advance in the tech tree and invent trains here? When did that happen? Even physical occupations use carriages, and mages prefer summoning mounts...
Then, Garrett really saw the train... or something resembling a train. The length was not impressive, shorter than the high-speed trains from his past life, even the regular trains. The carriages were narrower too. However, they were genuinely sliding on the tracks, clanging gradually as they ascended along the mountainside.
"Where are we going?" Garrett asked curiously. The mage in the red robe responded matter-of-factly:
"We’re going to the Magic Tower above! - The Archmage is busy, would he come down to see you?"